Amid The Great Depression, eleven “Homes of the Future” were on display at the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. I was amazed to learn that today, five of these futuristic model homes are currently at Indiana’s ‘Beverly Shores’ along Lake Michigan. Nearly a century later, these homes have been and are being painstakingly renovated to their former glory by dedicated individuals who pour their energy and finances into their restoration. Join us as we are introduced to some of the caretakers and learn the history of these modern marvels.
These nationally recognized homes are opened one day a year for tours in late September. So if visiting the area, please be respectful of the residents. Indiana Landmarks and The National Park Service hold ownership of these five historical exhibits and lease the properties to willing renovators.
1933 World’s Fair
First, it helps to frame these displays within the context of the 1933 World’s Fair, “A Century of Progress,” celebrating Chicago’s 100th year. With 7,000 banks failing nationwide between 1929-1933 this fair’s mission had been to give hope and to look ahead to the future! Over thirty-nine million people had visited these exhibits on Chicago’s Northerly Island.
Forty years earlier, Chicago had hosted “The Columbian Exhibition,” The 1893 World’s Fair. Lead architect, Daniel Burnham, had led the construction of stark white buildings for the displays. The exhibition had been referred to as “The White City.” Four decades later, the architects, including Burnham’s sons, had wanted to contrast this event with color!
Walt Disney had visited the fair several times and was inspired! Disneyland opened on July 17, 1955.
The “Rainbow City” donned two dozen corporate pavilions featuring electric gadgets: toasters, sewing machines, laundry, refrigerators, circuit breakers and insulating plastic. General Electric’s theme was “pure science of today will give us new products tomorrow.”
Another piece of vitality for this event was the fact that Franklin D. Roosevelt had repealed prohibition in the spring. People could once again enjoy a 3.2% beer or a glass of wine.
The eleven “Homes of the Future” featured unique building materials, open floor plans, dishwashers and air conditioning. Today, five of the original eleven homes stand proudly along Lake Michigan’s southern shore.
The Century of Progress: Historic District
A brisk January blast welcomed us as we strolled from a Beverly Shores Resort Community parking area down to Lake Front Drive where “The Century of Progress” homes waited for our arrival. These homes had been ‘modern’ in 1933 and still hold an elegance and charm by today’s standards.
The National Park Service subleased the homes to individuals who have vowed to restore them.
Today the houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Four of these houses were moved here by barge in 1935.” Chuck informed me. “People have agreed to fifty year leases with the mission of remodeling them.”
I felt gurgles of joy at the prospect of a sneak peak into a ‘modern’ 1933 style. The wind whipped briskly as we turned east onto Lake Front Drive. Soon the first house came into view.
Wieboldt-Rostone House
Sunlight highlighted the flat facade and sharp corners of the Wieboldt-Rostone house. It appeared to be standing in a spotlight with the shadows bowing in respect. Indiana architect, Walter Schole, had brought the crisp, art deco style to life back in the thirties! This home has had quite a journey!
His hope had been to entice buyers to purchase property alongside these famous displays of modern technology.
Four futuristic homes were moved by barge, while the Cypress Log Home was dismantled and rebuilt.
When built in 1933, the Wieboldt-Rostone had been advertised as ‘never needing upkeep.’ It had been constructed from a steel frame and “Rostone,” prefabricated slabs made from experimental materials: limestone, shale and alkali. However, after decades of environmental factors, upkeep was needed.
Photo Credit: Beverly Shores Resort Community Government Photos
“Welcome to ‘This Old House’ on steroids!” Ross Gambril stated in a ZOOM presentation. Ross Gambril has been the resident of the Wieboldt-Rostone house since 2003. He holds a journalism degree and has worked in the iron industry for decades.
“This ‘Hobby House,’ ” Ross Gambril quoted the air, “has 22 rooms with 7,000 square feet.” He continued, “From 1970-1985 this house became an ecology lab with scientists living here.” Gambril explained to Todd Zeiger, the director of Indiana Landmarks.
The Wieboldt-Rostone house had been vacant for 17 years when Ross Gambril came into the picture. With the original architect plans in hand, Gambril began the tasks of refurbishing the home as it had been in 1933.
Gambril spoke of the home’s structure. “One hundred-four columns had to be repaired.” For the outside precast concrete had been made to match the original color and texture. “It took two and a half years to redo the parquet flooring and recasting of the tiled floors.”
Neighbors
Bill Beaty, resident of The Florida House next door, shook his head and added, “Every time we opened something up, it was a heartbreak hotel.” Bill Beaty and Ross Gambril bantered as next-door neighbors often do while on the ZOOM presentation with Indiana Landmarks.
The Florida House
The luster of ‘flamingo pink’ came into view as we strolled along the street. This Caribbean look contrasted with the biting wind along the Great Lakes shore. We stepped through the sand dune to the beach for another view of this modern marvel.
Bill Beaty’s first wife, Marcie, who has since passed, had heard a newscast about a free house from the 1933 World’s Fair. “She wanted to do it.” Bill explained, “Long story short, we ended up with the house.” Bill, an architect, shrugged alongside his current wife, Lisa.
The ‘flamingo pink’ home was made from a wooden frame and covered in stucco. Marcie had said, “We have a paper mache house!” With a laser level, Bill discovered that the house was off by four inches and sinking one sixteenth inch each year. Ninety-one piers had to be sunk into solid ground to support the house along with a brand new cement foundation.
The Florida home only had two bedrooms with one connecting bathroom. So when the foundation was being poured, Bill added two bedrooms and another bathroom on the lower level. That area had not been ‘historical’ so Bill and Marcie had free reign.
Bill commented, “Our latest crisis is the lake. The sand dune was 40 feet and is now down to 8 feet. We had to construct a seawall to protect the house.” This construction was in January 2020.
According to several Chicago news sites, the Florida House became available in January 2024 for a
$2.5 million dollar lease.
Armco-Ferro House
The Armco-Ferro House gleamed proudly across the street, atop the hill. It’s modern feature was that it didn’t need exterior paint. The prefabricated, enameled steel panels made construction and maintenance simplistic and cost effective.
However, after 50 years of tolerating the outdoor elements, the panels had started to rust. The foundation needed to be replaced, too. So in the early 1990’s Iron Workers 395 and their apprentices had to ‘roll back’ the structure and secure a proper foundation. The interior and exterior had needed repairs, too, so the team had worked tirelessly.
Today, the Armco-Ferro House overlooks Lake Michigan proudly perched upon a hill.
House of Tomorrow
The famous “glass house” has recently been brought to it’s original, skeletal core and flanked by a chain link fence. The House of Tomorrow waits patiently to be reimagined into it’s former self as it had once been in 1933.
George Keck’s glass house design included a center spiral staircase with wedge shaped rooms. He had used solar heating and a cooling system. “Future travel” would include airplanes, so he had a hanger built at the ground level alongside the garage.
Some more recent owners had converted the airplane hanger into a family room. It will be exciting to see The House of Tomorrow re-born into its old self.
Cypress House
The Cypress House and Guest House soaked in the Lake Michigan view from high above. Cypress wood is known for it’s long lasting qualities, “the wood eternal,” which made it a perfect building material to be featured in 1933.
When the Olms family took on the lease in 1993, the lot had become overgrown. The guest house needed a new foundation, so it was completely disassembled. Plumbing and electrical updates needed to be done. A breezeway was added between the main house and the guest house. Todd Zeiger commented about the restorations, “It’s the best of the old with the best of the new.”
Erosion
Over 85 years of wind, sand, and surf have battered the five World’s Fair houses located along Lake Front Drive. Within six hours on a January 2020 day, two-thirds of an acre of beachfront eroded. A new seawall had to be installed. “It’s only eight to nine feet when it used to be 30-40 feet.” Bill Beaty referred to the beach frontage.
The new sea wall was installed by a troop of workers a few years ago paid for by Ross Gambril and Bill Beatty.
Regrets?
“Do you have any regrets?” Todd posed the question to Bill Beaty and Ross Gambril. Bill Beaty, who had leased The Florida House, laughed, “Financially it’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. And I’ve done some pretty dumb things. But, from a personal satisfaction, it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Ross Gambril’s connection to the Wieboldt-Rostone house had included the stories he’d heard about the fair throughout his life. “I know for a fact that my Dad went through this house (Wieboldt-Rostone) when he was 17 years old.” Ross went on, “I did this for one reason and one reason only, to prove to myself that I could.”
A Century of Progress – The 1933 World’s Fair Homes Tour
The annual Century of Progress Home Tour occurs the last weekend in September. Tickets go on sale in August and often sell out within an hour. If fortunate enough to secure a ticket, one can park at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center located at 1215 North State Road 49 and be escorted by a shuttle bus.
Northerly Park
We headed to the sight of the 1933 World’s Fair, Northerly Island. Standing in Northerly Island Park, it felt like a mystical time warp to me. Right here had been a calliope of color to bring hope to Americans in 1933 and today it’s a peaceful path through gardens and sculptures, Daniel Burnham’s original vision for the area.
Thinking about “The Century of Progress” makes me wonder what this park will be in another hundred years. My appreciation goes out to those committed to preserving the Futuristic Homes, once built to give hope during The Great Depression. Stay curious and make memories!
Related Links:
Here’s our YouTube video: “This Shoreline Supplied an Empire” featuring the Futuristic Homes
Here’s our YouTube video: “10,000 Year Old Trail” from Detroit to Chicago
Resources:
Indiana Landmarks, “America’s First Glass House” article
National Parks Service website 2022
National Trust For Historic Preservation article
Restoring Indiana’s Century of Progress Homes presentation by Todd Zeiger
Chicago Architecture Center article
Beverly Shores Wieboldt-Rostone House images
Newberry Collections for the Classroom article
Chicago Reality website shows the Florida House is available for lease
